So I've recently started playing and been doing Robigo to Sothis runs in a Type-6 making between 30 - 40 million per hour and i'm at a little over 200 million at the moment. Is there a point in buying a Python to keep doing this? Especially from what I understand a new patch is coming on Tuesday and I have zero engineering skills atm? Would it be prudent to wait until Tuesday before making any new investments in ships just in case things change?

Engineering isn't going to change on Tuesday. If you want your Python to be near indestructible, get started with engineers.

I never understand why Frontier is always up about nerfing good money-making locations. These should be embraced, really. At worst, if possible, Frontier can / should make them inaccessible to complete newbies, so that they have to at least poke and prod other parts of the game before they can start raking it in.

Anyway, such credit hot-spots should be encouraged, IMO. It makes the galaxy more alive - in PvE groups you start seeing other CMDRs waving by, chit chat is going strong... in Open it can encourage piracy (at least, it should; that's possibly one of the major downsides of Robigo) and possibly some PvP (of course this also ups the risk of killer-squads out to get anything moving, which is bad). Finally, provided the game prices aren't set to such ludicrous levels that you NEED to use these hot-spots, then these are completely optional, and if someone wants to get some cash injection (perhaps they crashed one too many times or want that next ship) I think that's perfectly fine. Anything's better than a) exploits and / or b) players leaving the game in frustration because "grind" (this comes with the massive qualifier that it takes quite a bit of skill to balance a game out so that it doesn't feel too grindy or too "instantly gratifying").

There is Best Place to make credits, and Frontier goes to great lengths to ensure this.
That said, there are still ample opportunities to amass fortunes.

1.Hauling - this is the soul of Elite, and has been since 1984.
Elite was created as a space-trucker game. And rightly so, this is one of the easiest ways to make a fortune. There are a few tricks of the trade, but they all revolve around a few core principles:

a. Reputation - the better your standings with a faction, any faction, the better and better paying jobs they offer.
b. Your Ship - The more you can move at once, the more you make faster. The top tier ships are the Type9 and the Imperial Cutter.
c. Your skill - The better you can fly, the better you can route, the better you can read the gal map the more you’ll make and the faster you’ll make it.

2. Passengers - A variation on hauling. Now you’re hauling cargo that talks. The same premises apply, though your choice of ships is greatly expanded. Most try for sardine cans packed to bursting with Economy passengers and Bulk passengers. With the death of board flipping, this practice will also die. See above about the lengths Frontier goes through to ensure there are no “gold mines”.

3. Mining - Something a little different. Mining has a tremendous profit margin, but does require a good bit of up front capital. You need a ship outfitted for the task. You need a good bit of specialized equipment, and a good bit of knowledge. You need to know what to mine, where to find it and most of all where to sell it. And you need to be able to avoid a fight. Mining ships are not combat rigs, though some will still try. I know of at least one mining Corvette out there. I make far more profit with a Type-9.

4. Bounty Hunting - Far too many people just want to blow things up. And we have lots of ways to do it. It doesn’t take much to be a bounty hunter, just a ship that can deal out damage and sense enough to know when to stop. Enemies can be found pretty much anywhere, just make sure they have a Wanted status before you open fire, and don’t shoot the cops.

5. Mercinary - A variety of Bounty Hunting, but now you’re fighting other peoples’ wars for money. Just find a Warring system, pick some massacre missions and find the enemy. Get going soldier!

6. Exploration - Get out there and see stuff. The more you see and scan, the more data you gather to sell. The more you sell, the more you make. Contrary to popular belief and practice, how far you can jump has no bearing on how much you can earn. In fact you’ll make more taking 100 jumps to reach a place than you will getting there in 10.

I never understand why Frontier is always up about nerfing good money-making locations. These should be embraced, really. At worst, if possible, Frontier can / should make them inaccessible to complete newbies, so that they have to at least poke and prod other parts of the game before they can start raking it in.

Blame the meta-griefing nerf-squad.

Anyway, such credit hot-spots should be encouraged, IMO. It makes the galaxy more alive - in PvE groups you start seeing other CMDRs waving by, chit chat is going strong... in Open it can encourage piracy (at least, it should; that's possibly one of the major downsides of Robigo) and possibly some PvP (of course this also ups the risk of killer-squads out to get anything moving, which is bad). Finally, provided the game prices aren't set to such ludicrous levels that you NEED to use these hot-spots, then these are completely optional, and if someone wants to get some cash injection (perhaps they crashed one too many times or want that next ship) I think that's perfectly fine. Anything's better than a) exploits and / or b) players leaving the game in frustration because "grind" (this comes with the massive qualifier that it's takes some skill to balance a game out so that it doesn't feel too grindy or too "instantly gratifying").

And unfortunately, the "price regulation" in the game makes the payouts seem artificial and not related to work/time/effort/risk at all.

The Elite galaxy isn't a laissez faire world at all, but is more like a corporatist/socialist world where all fees and prices are set everywhere. They're dictated and regulated on all 50,000+ bases, regardless if their imperial, federal, or independent. It's like if milk would cost exactly the same in USA, Russia, China, England, India, and Africa, anywhere you would go, same price.

In a real world, the fees would be vastly different in different places depending on what kind of system they are and what they want/need people to do for them. If a mission type isn't done by anyone, but the base needs it done (like scanning), then the fee will go up to entice commanders to do them. If everyone is doing a type of mission at a place, the price goes down. But that's not how Elite does it. The prices follow equations set by the secret Kabal governing the whole galaxy.

I never understand why Frontier is always up about nerfing good money-making locations. These should be embraced, really. At worst, if possible, Frontier can / should make them inaccessible to complete newbies, so that they have to at least poke and prod other parts of the game before they can start raking it in.

Anyway, such credit hot-spots should be encouraged, IMO. It makes the galaxy more alive - in PvE groups you start seeing other CMDRs waving by, chit chat is going strong... in Open it can encourage piracy (at least, it should; that's possibly one of the major downsides of Robigo) and possibly some PvP (of course this also ups the risk of killer-squads out to get anything moving, which is bad). Finally, provided the game prices aren't set to such ludicrous levels that you NEED to use these hot-spots, then these are completely optional, and if someone wants to get some cash injection (perhaps they crashed one too many times or want that next ship) I think that's perfectly fine. Anything's better than a) exploits and / or b) players leaving the game in frustration because "grind" (this comes with the massive qualifier that it takes quite a bit of skill to balance a game out so that it doesn't feel too grindy or too "instantly gratifying").

I don't believe FD nerf locations. They may tinker with mission types globally, but local changes are surely the result of BGS state changes. Otherwise, how come Robigo and Ceos still offer stackable missions with good pay?

I don't believe FD nerf locations. They may tinker with mission types globally, but local changes are surely the result of BGS state changes. Otherwise, how come Robigo and Ceos still offer stackable missions with good pay?

Actually, it's been in the update notes when they've done it. They don't use the word "nerf" in particular, but they absolutely do.

Leaving Robigo Mines in Open with my speed engineered Python to my surprise hollowed square players are trying to get in back of me for an interdiction. That is their game clubbing seals. I'll easily outrun most of them and they cannot beat me in the Interdiction game but when the numbers are not in my favor I go to Solo mode losing their opportunity before they can interdict. I love upsetting them. Thus more posts on the Forum per PvP only in the game.

Once you have your billions, and you have all the ships you want, what's the incentive to keep grinding for money?

Because it is there. Why do people risk their lives to climb Mount Everest? Why do players in Elite Dangerous spend years playing this game per combat, trading and exploring? We all have our own desires and entertainment with the game. For me I have 26 engineered ships and am approaching 5 billion in credits. My goal is 10 billion credits. Do I need them? Of course not. But it makes me happy making them.

I went to King in the Empire and Admiral in the Federation just in case they are required later in the game. Then in the future there may be a huge ship where I can dock all my other ships. It might cost billions of credits. I'll be ready.